Friday, May 25, 2012

Letting go!





It is that time of my life when I am learning yet another lesson in letting go. I wonder how my little one has grown up so soon! It feels just like yesterday when he had taken his first baby steps. He had faltered and fallen and stood up with determination again. I had beamed with pride and fussed over him at his effort! He had treated me to umpteen such moments, and had given me ample opportunity to marvel at his little efforts; smiling, rolling over, crawling, walking, teething, blabbering, incoherent baby talk and many more. All the while he had been hinting how he was quietly growing up, but none of these prepared me for his next major step. Going To School!

From the day we completed his admission formalities (which was 6 months in ago, yes, 6 months! Haven’t admission procedures become ridiculous? ) I have been fretting and complaining that his age is not quite right, he is too young to go to school and maybe we should have waited one year more. But the school authorities and hubby dearest had managed to convince me how the kid’s age was ideal and how he would be too old for Pre-KG next year.

Since then I have been religiously coaching my son about every aspect of school, the fun he will have there, the friends he will make, the things he will learn, the new things we will buy for him and so on and so forth! My little one has never left me for a minute and I was very worried whether he would leave me and go to school. Hubby dearest has looked on with amusement at my non- stop chatter about his schooling and has more than once remarked that he wondered if I was preparing the child or myself for the separation! Maybe he was partly or even wholly right! I was perhaps preparing myself for the separation. Because as much as it was true that he had never left me for a minute, it was true the other way round too.

As we went through every step of the preparation, buying of new uniforms, shoes, bag, books, etc, my heart grew restless with worrying continually over him. And as for the man of the hour, my little hero, he would nod his head and say “No!” when anyone asked him if he would go to school. Fears multiplied manifold, I could not sleep the whole week before school opened for pre-KG!

My dad recounted how defiant I had been going to school initially, actually for 5 whole months and had kicked the life out of the ayah with my shiny black shoes, when my dad passed me on to her at the school gates! Brace yourself, he warned me.

The D-day finally arrived and I thought my little one looked rather cute in his new school uniform and shoes. He was all smiles posing for the camera and we tried to capture his first steps in school. But the minute we handed him over to his teacher he was screaming his lungs out trying to break free. My heart went out to the little child, who was stretching his little arms out and calling out to me. I could have cried myself, had hubby dearest not taken me away from the place. We were told to collect him back in an hour’s time and to me that hour seemed like eternity!

I had been continually worrying how he would be faring and hubby dearest got sick of my incessant chatter.

‘For God’s sake, calm down, your child is not the first one to go to school and we have not left him in the jungle with a bunch of lions, so stop worrying, he will be fine’, he said, his voice soaked in sarcasm.

But a mother’s heart does not understand that, does it? And it continues to worry, about the well-being of her child, knowing at all times, that she cannot hold her child with herself forever. Neither in her womb nor at home. He will eventually break free from her. And she will have to let go.


Image: courtesy google

19 comments:

  1. Such a touching post. This is one of big switch in life and relation of a mother and child. Now on more people will have influence on him. I pray for the wellbeing of your child and let him be blessed with the best in his school :D

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  2. Supremely sweet post - my mother tears up even today when I leave to get back to university, maybe all mothers are hardwired that way.

    Cheers :)

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  3. aww Baba!! This is so touching!! I agree.. letting go is perhaps the toughest thing to do...Especially for a mother.. I hope he will adjust real soon.. :) Take care!!!

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  4. What an a wonderful post- it is wonderful because it showcases all the 'letting go' we as mother's have to do!!! Just when you think you are done letting go- another milestone will come which forces you to release your grip all the more! I had tears in my eyes- such a wonderful thing to see your little boy growing up and going to school- but oh my, how our heart just feels like it is being torn in two!!

    GREAT POST!!!

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  5. maithili: thanks for ur blessings maithili..

    AS: I understood why my mom tears up like that only when I myself went through that phase!!

    Rohu: I sure do hope he does!! thanks!

    Anjuli: So true! it's difficult for men to understand why we feel that way..

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  6. I can relate to this. But the funny part is, Aayushi had all the fun, even enjoyed her first day at school (7 years ago) - It was my wife (just like you, though), who needed all the consoling. :)

    Precious memories these'll become. Cherish them.

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  7. Sirjee: my elder one was like that, he did not even cry on the first day!! and enjoyed himself throughly...surprisingly I did not feel so jittery with him, maybe because i had a job then...and was used to being away from him.

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  8. Aww.....such a touching post. And why is it so difficult for mothers to let go! My mom still cries when I leave my hometown and I pretend to be strong and all. Maybe, mothers are just like that :) And don't worry- Your prince will do amazingly well :)

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  9. such a sweet post! truly said "God couldn't be everywhere and so he made Mothers"

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  10. "Because as much as it was true that he had never left me for a minute, it was true the other way round too."

    You have a wonderful way of catching the emotions in words. Hope the kiddo enjoyed school after all! :)

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  11. Aw. My mum says I would make her sit outside my classroom the whole day, when I just started going to school! :)

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  12. indeed letting go is a constant thing we learn!!

    http://sushmita-smile.blogspot.in/

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  13. CD: yea, I guess you understand your own mom only when you step into her shoes!

    Shreya: finally after a week now, he has atleast stopped bawling!

    Ash: :))

    Shooting star: true! there will be many more such letting go's in life!!

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  14. Lilac: long time! nice to see u back!

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  15. this was like a walk down my own memory lane with my daughter three years back ... she was excited about school because she could escape her horrible day care aunty!

    the experience, the emotions we parents go thru when our child starts school you brought it out all nicely

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  16. Sujatha: my elder one was like that..he got to escape his day care aunty too!!

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  17. Ohh!That must have been so difficult..especially when your little one started crying and you couldn't even console him...

    You have such warmth in you and in your writing :)

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  18. erratic thoughts: thanks! I guess mommies are hardwired to be that way!

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  19. Very nicely described the emotions of a mother.

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At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person..deep gratitude for those who have lighted the flame within me!! your comments will be appreciated..

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